User blog:TheEtanMan/The Farmer

 Zane sliced and hacked at the vermin horde surrounding him. He didn’t see a way out, just a giant mass of blood, fur, and steel. He kept at it, hoping that Lance would get back with reinforcements. Zane was starting to get buried alive under the horde and started to suffocate under the pressure. Thinking of his family and what had happened.

               Chapter One: A Mountain Top Village.

        Overlooking a beautiful valley was a quaint village nested in a flat clearing in the mountains. It was small and friendly, never rejecting a traveler-whether woodlander or vermin- they were always hospitable.

        A squirrel, which lived on a family farm, was the villager’s protector (because he was trained in the ways of the warrior), though; he was a kind hearted beast. His name was Zane, and he lived with his family, his wife, one son, and his parents.

        “Ugh, how heavy is this Dad?” asked Hantor, his son.

        “Ha, it is only 50 ib. come on and get a move on, your mother is cooking your favorite, hot bread grated with cheese with some nice cold raspberry fizz.” answered Zane, “And don’t complain, I am the one carrying it!” With that Zane took the bag of grain and raced up the hill, his son left trying to catch up.

        Hantor finally got to the top and was met with silence, no beast was around. He walked to the village square, trying to catch a glimpse of some beast, when all of the sudden.

        “Surprise! Happy Birthday!” Every beast jumped out of doorways and boxes, scaring Hantor to the ground. Everybody laughed.

        “Happy Birthday son!” said Zane, helping up his son and patting him on the back, “You are now 15 seasons! Quite a celebration awaits you.”

        Hantor was lost for words, he stood still dumbfounded until he saw the vittles being set up. “Uh, I’ll go help with the vittles.” With that he scurried over to the tables and set up the food, then started to stuff his plate and mouth.

        The whole village was eating and drinking to Hantor’s health, until they couldn’t eat and drink no more. So one by one they went to bed, sending the guards to their posts and leaving the food for tomorrow.

        When Zane and Hantor arrived home, Zane brought his son to the field, and said, “Now son, since you have become older it is time to teach you how to protect your village. I am getting older and you need to learn.” With that Zane produced a short staff made of oak wood with metal tips.

        “Do you think I am ready?” Hantor asked shuffling his feet, looking nervous, “What if I mess up?”

        “Well if you mess up then I will continue to teach you. Until you learn, I will be with you step by step. But not tonight, we will start tomorrow.”

                       Chapter 2: A message.

 It was dark and cold when the warning bell started to ring. Every beast ran out to see what happened, some in clothes, some in robes, and some in nothing (But that never mattered). One of the guards ran up to Zane with a field mouse running up behind him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Sir!” he said, with a salute, “This one came running up shouting, ‘Death and Destruction is comin’! Run for your lives!’ So we took him and tried to settle him down a bit, he’s settled but he is still going bonkers.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Thank you, what is your name fellow? And why did you come here?” asked Zane speaking softly as to not scare the timid thing.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “They call me Squeaker, cause when I get excited I squeak,” said Squeaker, looking around nervously when he heard the next question, “They are coming, they told me to run up the mountain, for one an’ a half weeks. I told as many as I could. Death is coming!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Hold on, who is this death? And who told you to come?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Well that is easy since they are the same. It is Brancor, the wolf from the Eastern Lands far over the oceans. He is big, so big, and he has a giant horde. At least two thousand assorted vermin, and not any ordinary vermin. The normal bunch plus a few: sables, foxes, wearats, plenty of wildcats, the generals are wolverines, polecats, these white striped black cats that stink, and giant lizards. They called them Gila monsters. And monsters they are. They will destroy this land. Nothing will be left.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        They beasts stood stock still; they never heard of an army that large, with that many different vermin either. They started to panic within themselves and stared at Zane for answers.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Finally Zane took charge and said, “Enough! I will go down the mountain and try to find help. Send some runners and get people from the other villages to come up here. Then you will be more protected. I will leave my Captain and son in charge. I will leave at first light.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        At this everyone agreed and went to bed, but no one slept. Zane and Lily, his wife, had some talking to do.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> Chapter 3: A hard goodbye and a new friend.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Zane woke and had no recollection of last night; that is until he walked outside and was bombarded with beasts giving him advice and supplies. He took each one is stride, until he was overburdened with all the food.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Stop! That is enough,” said Zane, raising his voice above the others, “I will leave soon, and you will need these supplies more than me. I will take what I need and go.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Zane rooted out what he needed and packed them up. Carrying his spear, an iron spear with a small knob at one end and a cross pattern blade at the other, he took off, saying farewell to his family and friends.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Hantor watched his father until he was out of sight. Then he told himself, “I will protect this village Father. No matter what!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Zane walked until he got to the bottom of the mountain. He looked around for any enemies, seeing none he took off his pack, laid it down, and using it as a pillow took a little nap.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Crack! Snap! Zane jumped up wielding his spear. He called out, “Who’s there? Come out now and I will not hurt you.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        A young mouse maid came out weeping into her apron.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Zane quickly bent down and tried to comfort her, “Hey don’t be afraid, sorry if I scared you. Thought you were a vermin.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        With that she ran into Zane’s arms, looking around in horror.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Are they here?” She asked, wiping her eyes with whatever dry part of her apron she had left.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Zane smiled, “No, they are gone, I scared them off,” Zane got up and wiping her eyes he said, “My name is Zane, what’s yours?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “My name is Clover, because of my eyes,” Clover looked up and Zane saw how beautiful her eyes were. The same colors as his baby daughter’s eyes were. Before she died.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Zane straightened up and took his haversack and tossed it to Clover, who was now sitting down in the soft moss.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “So,” said Zane munching on some bread, “Where did you come from? Were you from around here or were you travelling?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Clover sat quietly rummaging through the haversack, looking for some food. When she found some food she started to talk, “I lived on the bottom village with my family. But just a couple weeks ago that wolf attacked and destroyed the village. My dad was killed in the fight and the rest were stuck under in the house when it caught aflame. I was captured and was locked up till just a few days until I broke free and ran here.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “So you have been living here? Wow, that must have been hard,” said Zane shaking his head, then he had an idea, “Do you want to come with me? I am going to Redwall to find some help. I’ll need someone to be the brains around here.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Clover smiled and nodded, “It is better than staying here.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        So they ate and started to journey once more.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">               Chapter 4: A Missed Mess.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Along the western coast sat the badger mountain of Salamandastron, it was black against the blue sea, and its shadow lay over the surrounding sand.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> But inside there was a Hare fast asleep; his name was Herg Flufflspif Widear but his friends called him Fluz because his fur and stiff and hard. He was a Greenear, a common name given to the new recruits, and so far he enjoyed being part of the Long Patrol.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> Though he dreaded when it was time to be examined by Colonel Whiphscutt Harington, a stern old Hare who could detect a smear under your vest just by the bulge it makes, but other than that he was a fine old chap.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        But at this time Fluz was fast asleep dreaming of food, as every Hare does, and he was late for breakfast mess. He awoke by a sharp pain in his stomach, he flew up and got dressed saying, “Oh bugger, I missed Mess. Oi that is funny, missed Mess, eh wot wot.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        He ran down the hall but was met with a dozen Hares talking excitedly, he tripped over with own tunic and fell face first on the stone floor.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Oi what this here then,” said a tall hare, bending over to help up Fluz, “You missed Mess Fluz. Oi, that is a funny one, missed Mess. Haw haw!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">         “Yes, quite,” answered Fluz, “Why didn’t you tell me that it was mornin’ Horace? It was our bloomin’ agreement.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Horace looked sheepish, “Well mate, Jork came in and told us that the Badger Lord wanted us right away. I got up as fast as I could, I completely forgot about you. Honest I did.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Well, now I might get in trouble mate. Who knows what might happen now. I better go anyways and use my old charm on the cook to get some vittles.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Fluz walked down the hall to the mess when Horace called to him, “Oh and Fluz!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Yea? What is it?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Lord Stormswipe asked me to tell you to report to him in the forge.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Fluz heard all but the part of the forge and Lord Stormswipe.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Okay, I’ll talk to whomever later! First I must get some vittles.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        So Fluz walked into the Mess and found some leftover food and quietly ate. He was still in the middle of a nice large cup of Maple beer when the lord of the mountain came barging in and yelled, “Fluz! You were supposed to see me in my forge ten minutes ago!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> Fluz sputtered and stood up straight, with beer flowing down his tunic.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “My Lord, I’m sor…” He was cut off with Stormswipes booming voice.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Did I say that you can talk? Up to my forge! NOW!!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Fluz ran past the Lord, narrowly missing a swift kick to the bob-tail. He got to the forge and stood at attention inside, thinking to himself, “Oh, that Horace will be the death of me and himself! That oaf forgot to tell me!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        He was going to say something else when Stormswipe came in and shut the door. He walked over to a tray piled with food; he sat in his chair with the tray in his lap. Fluz looked at the food hungrily, but contained himself for the Badger Lord.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Do you want something to eat Fluz,” asked Lord Stormswipe in a softer manner, “I got this for you so when you came up you could have something, since you missed breakfast.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Fluz started to sweat, was the Lord baiting him? He was never this nice to any beast. Stormswipe stood up and said, “I am not mad, you are a Hare and so you are drawn to food the way moths are drawn to a flame. Do you know why I sent for you?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Because I was blooming late, sir,” Fluz never stopped standing, though he was sure it was fine.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “At ease,” said Lord Stormswipe, “Well that and I need you to go on a mission with Major Payne, he is going with a few Hares to Redwall to give the Abbot some newly made silver chalices decorated with fine cut rubies, for the favor that I owe to him. The reason I want you is because you lived near Redwall before you came here. You can help them get there safely. Do you understand?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Yes Lord,” said Fluz giving him a salute.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Okay, go on then, you and Horace must get pack before you leave.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Fluz ran down back down the hall, feeling happy but not forgetting about getting even with Horace.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> Chapter 5: What happened to Abbot’s sword.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Major Payne and his patrol left for Redwall at the first light, they quickly ate and packed up anything left and started on the path in perfect formation.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Horace rubbed the back of his head and said to Fluz, “Oi mate, the back of my ‘ead is hurtin’ something ‘orrible, like I slept on a bag of rocks.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Fluz contained a snigger and said, “Well chap, you are probably finally feelin’ your skull.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Fluz broke out in uncontrollable laughter when he saw the look of comical despair on his friends face.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Sergeant Jiffic slipped behind the two friends and yelled, in the way only a true sergeant could, “Attention! Turn towards me! If I hear you two flappin’ your bloody mouths one more time, I’ll pull your ears and tear off your tails! Do you understand?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Sir, yes sir!” saluted both of the unfortunate pair.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        The Sergeant could hear a couple of giggles, “Quiet you Greens! Or I’ll do the same to you!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        All was silent the rest of the day, once it started to get dark the Major had them set up camp.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Fluz, Horace. You take first watch. Pick two more at midnight,” yelled the Sergeant, knowing full well that they’d be fast asleep by then.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        The pair groaned to themselves but did it anyways. They knew that if they complained outwardly then they would be on watch every night.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        The night went by peacefully, so peacefully that the pair fell fast asleep, the Sergeant and the Corporal went to the sleeping fools.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Don’t you wish we could sleep like that? If only they knew what we really had to do,” said the Corporal mournfully.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        “Aye,” answered Jiffic the moonlight pale in his eyes, “They’ll learn soon enough, wot.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        The dawn broke without a trouble. Although the birds’ songs were interrupted by the Long Patrol whistling a grand marching tune. Their feet thumping on the ground made the drum beat and the cooks banged their pots to the tune.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        They walked until they reached a cool stream, there they rested a while. Once everybody had washed their feet and taken enough drink. They got back on their way but stopped at the end of known ways and the beginning of Mossflower.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        The Major walked to the front and with pace stick in hand, he pointed towards Fluz and said, “Well there laddy buck, it is now your turn to lead. But first we need to make sure that the sword is still safe. Corporal, check the pack. Eh, wot!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        Corporal opened the pack and after two minutes he stood and cried, “Blimey, the sword is missin’. There’s what looks like claw marks in here!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">        All the hares turned to the Major, he was standing there stock still and wondering what happened.